Vacuum release for shells



July 24, 1923.

1,462,500 P. I. WELLS VACUUM RELEASE FOR SHELLS Filed Jan. 24, 1920 3 9 7 a v /I W-Barre/ V? 6 ym ZFWE/VTOQ W M 4 Worm: 1

Patented July 24, 1923.

1,4625% PATENT orrice.

PAUL IRVINE WELLS, 0F KOUTS, INDIANA.

VACUUM RELEASE FOR SHELLS.

Application filed January 24, 1920. Serial No. 353,760?

To an whom it may concern:

Be it known that PAUL IRVINE WELLS, citizen of the United States, residing at Kout's,in the county of Porter and State of Indiana, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vacuum Releases for Shells, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to vacuum release for'shells, and more especially comprises the features herein pointed out in the claims.

The purpose of my invention is to provide and use any desired agency for overcoming the drag on shells, etc., which is created by the vacuum whenever shells are discharged through gun barrels; to provide a simple means whereby air or any other agency is automatically admitted into the breech end of a gun barrel as the shell con tents start in their forward traverse; that adapts such a control either in the gun itself inwhich any modified style of cartridge or shell may be fired or to the cartridge or shell capable of being fired in any kind of a gun; and that provides ample vacuum reducing inlets in the rear of a moving charge to thereby secure greater carrying distance, greater penetration or greater velocity due to a modification of the vacuum drag usually present when fire arms are discharged.

With these and other ends in view I illustrate. in the accompanying drawing such instances of adaptation as will disclose the broad underlying principles without limiting myself to the specific details shown in these exemplifications.

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a gun barrel, the breech and a loaded shell in po sition in which the air inlets are formed in the breech.

Fig. 2 is a front enlarged elevation of the breech.

shell as may be desired, and I may use any form of channels, grooves, openings etc., that will be found to give the most eflicient results without being limited in any way to the specific proportions etc, of the various parts instanced in the drawings.

A gun barrel 1 of usual form receivesthe shell 2 thatis held in its firing position by the breech 3, brought into and held in position in any well known manner (not shown). A firing pin is shown at 1 in line with the percussion cap 5 inserted in a central opening of the grooved-perforate shell base 6 provided with the usual annular flange 7 for holding the shell in place in the passages, that terminate in the face of the breech 3, directly against the shell base 6.

Instead of the openings 8, an annular groove 10 (Figs. 3 and 4) may be formed in the face of a breech 11 and connect the same to the outer air by one or more fairly large openings 12 that take the place of holes 8 and 9 of Fig. 1. This breech is of course provided with a central opening for a firing pin similar to breech 3 of Fig. 1.

As a unique equivalent all the provisions that have just been described may be embodied in the shell itself, see Figs. 5 and 6. Since the basic purpose is to admit air into the trailing vacuum, as has heretofore, it is quite immaterial how it is admitted. In this latter instance the shell base 13 has formed in its outer surface an annular groove 14 which is connected to the interior of the shell by openings 15 and with the exterior air by radial channels or grooves 16. These channels are in connection with the exterior air all around the rim of the shell flange 7, due to the fact that when the gun breach is closed it does not fit so close to the barrel as to exclude the entrance of air to the channels 16. A central opening 17 is for the usual percussion cap required with shot loaded shells. In practice the cap is in direct connection with the powder charge that is in front of the wad 18 that is placed next inside the shell been stated base. This wad is loose enough to be drawn by the vacuum and it is followed by the air or other agency admitted through openings 15.

The shell 2 when used with a flat faced breech 3 (Fig. 1) is provided with a groove 19 similar to groove 14 into which the openings 8 deliver air. This groove is connected to the interior of the shell by openings 20 similar to holes 15 shown in Figs. 6 and 5. Instead of the groove 19 the holes 20 may be the same in number as the holes 8, in which case they would of course have to register with each other, a requirement that is almost self-evidently impracticable and in order to avoid such a detail of working precision the groove 19 may be formed in the shell Fig. 1 or the groove 10 in the breech, Fig. 3. In the latter case shell 2 simply has holes 22 formed in its base so as to communicate with the groove 10 and connect the same to the interior of the shell.

lVhat I claim is,

1. In shells, means for automatically admitting a vacuum reducing agency into the interior of a shell simultaneously with first forward movement of the charge contained in the shell.

2. In shells, means for automatically reducing the vacuum in the interior of a shell at the moment of firing through the displacement of the charge under the act of firing the same.

3. In shells, a container having a free outlet therefrom, a confined charge within the container, means for setting the, charge into motion, and means for simultaneously and automatically admitting vacuum reducing agency in the rear of the moving charge.

l. In shells, side and rear enclosing Walls, a charge adapted to be forcefully expelled from the shell, and means located within the head of the shell adapted to automatically admit air in the rear of the advancing charge. through the movement of the charge itself.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

PAUL IRVINE WELLb. 

